Damp repair carried out by dealer

[BigTim]

As previously posted my 2006 Bailey Senator Arizona was found to have damp readings of 40-50% on a small area of nearside side wall near to front panel and just below seal between front panel and roof. This problem was identified by Bailey dealer at 2nd annual service in early June. After some delays the dealer repaired this under Bailey warranty in mid-July. Roof seal and awning rail removed and re-sealed.

I have been away in France for most of the summer and have just retested the problem area. I have my own Protim Mini dampmeter as used by the trade. The readings are still similar to what they were in mid July.

Should the readings be improving by now?

I am, also, concerned that the awning rails have been sealed with putty coloured mastic which a trade contact has advised is not what Bailey what have expected to have been used. Should I be concerned?

I am rather worried as we bought this 'van to replace another badly damaged by damp and I was not expecting problems in such a new van,

CB

 

[Damian]

Tim, if the van awning rail was just resealed without any other remedial work being done, then yes the reading would more than likely be the same as the water has been sealed in.

If possible it should have had a small vent fitted inside the van to allow the moisture to release.

 

[John_5040782]

Tim, if the van awning rail was just resealed without any other remedial work being done, then yes the reading would more than likely be the same as the water has been sealed in.

If possible it should have had a small vent fitted inside the van to allow the moisture to release.

Hi Damian - I was interested to see your comment about a small vent fitted inside the van, I was not aware that these are available can you tell me more please - thanks

 

[Guest]

'Vents'?! - fitted to allow moisture to evaporate?!! - on a 2006 top model caravan?!!!

Oy!! - what sort of nonsense is this?!

There is one thing to be done with that caravan - and that is reject it as soon as possible.

Why? - because, depending on the extent of the damage and the length of time that water has been getting in, it is *very* difficult to properly repair a bonded van that has leaked, and almost impossible to do it in a way that is undetectable.

The only sure-fire way to repair that panel and make it as good (or, one hopes, 'better') than new would be to take off the entire panel (aluminium/foam/wallboard) and replace it with a new one - and if that means the entire side, then so be it.

But, of course, the manufacturer won't authorise that - so it's bodge time, and a quick re-seal to give the impression of 'something being done'

Meanwhile, the wallboard (and any structural timber that's in the vicinity) will be quietly starting to rot.

As for 'vents'!! - spiffing idea! - just what every owner of a two year old caravan wants, a circular plastic vent fitted into the wall board!

Why not attach a handy notice for the benefit of future purchasers as well?. 'This van has leaked, is probably still leaking, and should be avoided like the plague'

This is an expensive caravan - and if Bailey can't build the things properly they should bear the cost of putting it into EXACTLY the condition that it SHOULD have been in when the OP bought it.

If not, he should throw it back at the dealer and demand his money back under the terms of the SOG act.

The leak and the subsequent repair are completely unacceptable - and as for 'vents', well the mind just boggles!

 

[Damian]

Selwyn, my fault I did not fully read the age of the van, and as you say, on a 2006 van it is unacceptable and needs a full strip and rebuild or reject the van.

The use of button vents to allow moisture to escape from a damp area is not new, or rocket science, and no they would not be fitted in any easily visible places, but they do allow a solution to a problem where the owner does not want to part with their van.

 

[Dustydog]

Hi Tim,

Write to your dealer , copy to Bailey, immediately informing them you are not happy with the repair and there is still evidence of high damp.Give them one more chance to efecta satisfactory repair and if nop good reject the van and demand a refund.

Bailey are usually pretty good, try having a chat with Kelly Watts at Bailey Bristol.

Good luck and kep us all posted.

Cheers

Alan

 

[Chrisbee]

Whilst I fully agree with everything said above I worry that if too many damp 'vans are detected on service with the resulting hassle to the dealer of the caravan being rejected, the consequence could be a less than thorough damp inspection by unscrupulous dealers. That way when the damp warranty expires they have a nice little earner. Of course, if the damp is not repaired properly the first time they can charge to repeat the job a couple of years later.

 

[BigTim]

Thanks for the advice folks

Unfortunately I am not in a position to reject the 'van as I bought it from another, none-Bailey, dealer when it was a year old.

I did, fortunately, pay the fee to have the 6 year water ingress warranty transferred.

I spoke to Bailey today but they were not over helpful. The man I spoke to said they would not have a record of the work carried out by the dealer and would have just supplied the parts and paid the dealer's bill.

I am in rather an odd position I don't think that I have contract with the dealer who carried out the repair I did not pay for the work. I guess I'm going to have to go back to the repairing dealer.

Any comments on the type of sealant used anyone?

In addition when checking over the 'van today with the damp meter I noticed that the a ceiling panel has "dropped" slightly at the taped joint in the rear bathroom. This is adjacent to the rear vent which had damp readings of 18% at the service - not more damp I hope.

I'm pretty fed up with the whole situation. Having had serious damp problems with our previous 'van we spent a lot on this nearly new 'van hoping not to have any problems. I've, also, just spent a small fortune having shocks and ATC fitted to the 'van.

Thanks for posting folks.

Regards

Tim

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tim,

Lets start with definite information. Your purchase contract is only with the seller, and that means you do not have any leverage against the original repairing dealer.

There are certain other aspects of your posting that don't seem to make complete sense. Why did you purchase a caravan with a history of damp? And how was the water ingress guarantee (its not a warranty) transferred without an inspection by a manufactures agent?

I have to conclude that either you were not aware of the damp history when you purchased the caravan, or you were assured by the dealer that the matter had been fully resolved.

In either case I think you might have some case against the selling dealer. All dealers and traders are obliged to describe products (caravans) accurately. A matter as significant and material as a repair for damp ingress should have been brought to your attention. If it was not then the dealer has in my opinion breeched the Trades Descriptions Act. Bearing in mind your previous experience of damp problems in a caravan, that if you were aware of an issue such as the repair you would be unlikely to purchase the caravan, unless the dealer was able to convince you that the problem had be completely resolved.

Let us now assume you were made aware of the problem and you had been convinced the problem had been resolved. You are totally in the 'expert' hands of the dealer whom you should expect to be competent and honest when describing the problem its resolution and prognosis. The dealers position may have been given greater credence if he also suggested that the manufactures damp ingress guarantee could be transferred, after all the manufacture would surely only allow this to happen if they were confident in the pre existing repairs.

The action of arranging to transfer the water ingress guarantee could be seen as an incentive to purchase defective goods.

I really think you should seek some professional legal advice. Initially Trading Standards, and the Citizens Advice Bureau should be able to offer some guidance, but you may need to take it further. Check with your household insurer as some offer assistance with legal costs of cases such as this.

 

[BigTim]

Hi John

Thanks for your full reply you seem to have, however, misunderstood my situation. That may well have been due to my failing to explain properly!!

The caravan (a 2006 Senator) was purchased in May 2007 secondhand from a non-Bailey dealer. It was at that time under a year old It was serviced before the sale to NCC standards. I, also, tested the 'van with a damp meter and found no problems - I suppose I might have missed it as it is inside one of the cupboards but as far as I remember I did check thoroughly.

Bailey's warranty is transferrable for a fee of

 

[ProfJohnL]

Hello Tim,

Thank you for your clarification, I am sorry I had come to the wrong conclusions about the circumstances.

What does remain the same though is the fact that even with a second hand item if it is misrepresented by a trader you do have rights under the SoGA. If the caravan was sold as in good condition, then it subsequently demonstrates a fault that should not have happened on a product of that age, or level of usage, then the retailer may still be liable under SoGA. Claims under this are not limited time limited, but it is generally the case the 6 years is the absolute limit, and the remedy for such issues diminishes with increasing age or use. A reasonable view has to be taken on these issues.

A caravan should remain damp free for many years, so if damp is occurring in less than two then some thing is wrong.

The 6 year water ingress guarantee is actually an insurance policy. You have paid the premium, which was accepted, and provided you have adhered to the terms of the policy then you should be entitled to the benefits. This is your contract. The repair of the caravan for water ingress is the responsibility of the insurance company, and if it is unsatisfactory then they should be taking action to remedy the situation. Have you told them about the mismatched mastic etc, and that you suspect that there continues to be water ingress?

One might hope that they will act, but if they are slow or refuse, then my previous advice about seeking professional legal advice still stands.

You might be able to argue if the caravan has suffered permanent damage as a result of water ingress despite having been monitored and repaired within the terms of the insurance that the insurers are liable for the full cost or replacement of the caravan.

 

[BigTim]

Thanks for that John

The warranty is, however, not an insurance backed type but the manufacturer's warranty from Bailey Caravans themselves. I'm going to be getting back to the repairing dealer on Monday to strongly express my concerns and take it from there.

Thanks again